despot

American  

[des-puht, -pot] / ˈdɛs pət, -pɒt /

noun

1. a king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power; autocrat.

2. any tyrant or oppressor.

3. History/Historical. an honorary title applied to a Byzantine emperor, afterward to members of his family, and later to Byzantine vassal rulers and governors.

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despot British  

/ dɛsˈpɒtɪk, ˈdɛspɒt /

noun

1. an absolute or tyrannical ruler; autocrat or tyrant

2. any person in power who acts tyrannically

3. a title borne by numerous persons of rank in the later Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires

   the despot of Servia

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Other Word Forms

• despotic adjective
• despotically adverb

Etymology

Origin of despot

1555–65; < Greek despótēs master < *dems-pot- presumably, “master of the house,” equivalent to *dems-, akin to dómos house + pot-, base of pósis husband, spouse; hospodar, host ¹

Example Sentences

But the 184-page decision that American lawmakers made public shows the commission acting like a petty despot, with little if any regard for due process.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has replaced three top officials in charge of his personal security, Seoul said Tuesday, a sign the despot may increasingly fear assassination plots.

From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026

We aren’t in danger of being taken over by a despot.

From Salon • Oct. 17, 2025

Simmons, who plays the film’s jazz conservatory despot, Fletcher.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2025

I was seventeen when Mussolini attacked Ethiopia, an invasion that spurred not only my hatred of that despot but of fascism in general.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

• autocrat
• oppressor
• tyrant